Strainer



Oct. 4, 1932. A. J. EVERS ET AL 1,831,270

STRAINER Filed Nov. 15, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 4, 1932. J, v s ET AL 1,881,270

STRAINER Filed Nov. 15. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 PWIWIHIHIIIN IHHHI 3 am y Oct. 4, 1932. A. J. EVERS ET AL STRAINER Filed NOV. 15, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 A. J. EVERS ET AL 1,881,270

STRA-INER Filed Nov. 15. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 llllll IIIIIIIIIIIIII II Oct. 4, 1932.

Patented Oct. 4, 1932 ARTHUR J. EVERS AND HER-BERT J. SAUVAGE, OF WILMETTE, ILLINOIS STBAINER Application filed November 15, 1930. Serial No. 495,821.

The present invention pertains to selfcleaning screens or strainers, such as are employed in the treatment of sewage for the elimination of solids therefrom.

5 One principal or prime object or main aim of the invention is to provide a structure of this character which will effectually and eificiently performits function, which is relatively simple in structure, which is unlikely to become damaged in ordinary service, and which can be made at comparatively small expense.

To the attainment of these and other desirable objects, a present, preferred embodiment of the invention has been provided and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to which reference. should be had in connection with the following detailed description, like reference numerals having been employed throughout the several views to designate the same parts.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section through the construction on line 1-1 of F igure 2;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the screen or strainer;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-section on line 33 of Figure 1; V

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged section on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical section on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a vertical section on line 66 of Figure 4; and

Figure 7 is a view similar to that of Figure 6 but on a smaller scale and with some of the parts in a different position.

Referring to these drawings, it will be observed that the channel or conduit 11 through which the sewage flows and which may be made of any appropriate material, such as concrete, has side-walls 12, 12 and a bottom wall or floor 13, the sewage passing from left to right as the structure is viewed in Figure 1, and the upper portion of such canal or duct has a shelf or ledge 14 adapted to receive the solids strained out by deposit thereon by the mechanism about to be described.

Extended from the front edge of such shelf or ledge to approximately the bottom of the channel, and mounted on the side-walls thereof, or otherwise, are a pair of inclined channel-bars 15, 15 adjacent or parallel to the side-walls and with their flanges extended inwardly or toward one another, as shown in Figure 3.

Such elements 15, 15 support spaced, horizontal, cross angle-bars 16, 17, 18 to which at 19, 19 angle-bar sections 21, 21 are bolted to retain them in place, such parts 21, 21 having welded or otherwise secured to their top faces a relatively large number of substantially-parallel grate or screen bars 22, 22 disposed on edge and unitedly constituting the screen or grating on which the larger, solid particles or bodies of the sewage become lodged as the latter flows along through the structure.

It is to be observed that each half of these bars is bent outwardly at 20 toward the corresponding side-wall of the channel for a purpose hereinafter indicated, and it Will be noted that such bending is comparatively slight, that is to say, about equal to one-half of the space between adjacent bars.

Turning now to the mechanism for scraped on a shaft 34 revolllble in bearings of a frame composed in part of upper and lower longitudinal angle-bars 35, 3,6, the latter having guide lugs 37, 37 and bearing directly on and adjustable lengthwise of the top flanges of the stationary channel-bars 15, 15.

Other parts of the frame comprise plates 38, bars 39, and bars 41 and 42 which respectively are spaced above and below theflanges of the bars 36 and 35 to provide guideways for the lower and upper stretches of the chains 32.

By means of screw mechanism 43, unnecessary to describe in detail because it forms no part of the present invention, the frame and its lower set of sprocket-wheels may be adjusted to obtain the required tautness of the chains.

The shafts are so rotated that the upper stretches of the chains move downwardly and their lower stretches travel upwardly near the screen.

The scraper or cleaner for the screen or grid will now be described.

Each chain has a special link 51 with such two links in cross alignment, and each link 51 has an inwardly-extended stub-shaft 52 integral therewith and with spaced integral collars 53, 53, the inwardly extended aligned ends of such shafts fitting in the ends of a long, spacing sleeve or hollow shaft 54.

A bracket 55 is employed at each side of the structure and it has a split bearing 56 capable of turning on the corresponding part of the shaft 52 between the ribs or collars 53, 53 which prevent it from moving lengthwise of the shaft.

Such pair of spaced brackets 55 have a long angle-bar 56 bolted thereto at 57, to the top front face of which a bar 58 is welded or otherwise secured, and to the under face of such latter bar a series of spaced, inverted U- shaped, straight, spring fingers 59 are fastened by screws 61, the back edges of such fingers bearing against the front face of bar 56, the fingers, as is clearly shown in Figure 6, extending down beyond the bar 56.

As is indicated in Figure 3, each blade of such fingers reaches down between apair of the screen or grating bars 22, there being one such blade between each pair of the bars.

At the right-hand part of the appliance, each ofthese fingers bears and presses against and wipes along the inner side of the corresponding bar 22, and, at the left-hand side of the apparatus, the fingersf-co-operate with the other or opposite sides oftjhe corresponding screen bars.

The purpose of such reversal is 'toequalize or balance the strains imposed on the structure.

Thus as the. chains travel along. these fingers wipe the sides of, the bars and carry upwardly all material caught on the bars due to their straining action and all such material bent around the bars and into the spaces between them.

The fingers are intended to convey or push all such material up the screen and to deposit it upon the shelf 14 from which it may be removed from time to time.

To effect the performance of this function effectively and to free the fingers from the material which they advance up the screen or grid, the following co-operating mechanical instrumentalities have been provided:

Each bracket 55 has a projection or lug 62 extended rearwardly from its upright, front wall and having a flat undersurface 63.

,Each link 51 has a lateral plate portion 64 on which a lever 65 is fulcruined on a pin or shaft 66 mounted at its opposite ends in the plate section 64 allChilig iit bracket 67, the lever at its forward, lowe f-"end having a foot 68 adapted to be rocked under and to support the lug 62 and the long cross-bar 56 and also having an upstanding post 69 designed, during the travel of the movable parts, to engage a stationary cam 70 to rock the foot out from under the lug and thereby allow the brackets 55, bar 56, and the wiping or scraping fingers 59 to rock or swing downras shown in Figure 7.

The rocking descent of such parts is abruptly terminated when a curved lug 71 on each bracket 55 strikes a stop 72 on. the plate section of the corresponding special link.

This release of the spring fingers and their 55 mounting and the quick and sudden stop of their c escent or drop occurs after the fingers have reached a position above the ledge or shelf 14, the sudden cessation of their movement jarring off from them any adhering matter, which falls on to the support 14 with the other refuse which has merely been slid up the screen or grating in front of the wiping fingers on to such ledge.

As the fingers and their mounting pass around the upper shaft 28 and as they are about to descend along the upper stretches of the chains, they fall back into their original but reversed position-s automatically by gravity, but, of course, they must be locked again before they come to the lower shaft, if they are to perform their work properly.

To this end, the rear end of each lock lever 65 has a lug 73 designed to contact with a stationary cam 74, thereby causing the lock lever to swing to bring its foot 68 into register with the part 62 and thereby lock the hinged support and its series of spring wiping-fingers ready for the next travel upwardly along the V grating or screen.

As a safety means or measure to prevent the lock-lever 65 from accidentally or unintentionally turning on its fulcrum 66 to bring its foot 68 above the lug 62 while the wipingfingers are in their lowered relation, as de- 35 picted in Figure 7, which would preclude their automatic return by gravity to original position, such member 62 is equipped with a curved extension 75 so positioned and shaped as to block the locking of the parts until they have rocked back by gravity, whereupon the co-action of elements 73 and 7a positively effects such locking.

Owing to the fact that the grate or screen bars are bent sidewise at 20, when the spring wiping-fingers travel around the lower sprocket-wheels, they enter midway the spaces between the sides of adjacent bars without contact therewith, thus avoiding possibility of damaging engagen'ient between blades and bars, and, as the fin ers t? avel along, owing to the bends in the bars, they soon contact with and wipe along the ot the bars, described above.

The straighti 's or ti e fingers, that i their lack or absence side bending or curvature, facilitates their ready entrain 'nto the spaces between the bars, and scch str. htress also aids in freeing them from 2.5. when their drop or fall quickly Those acquainted with this art will readily understand that the inventi in, as set forth in the appended claims is not limited to the exact details of st: ture shown and scribed, and that many changes may he made in the appliance withamt depai from the principles oi the invei and w the loss or sacrifice of any oi its material benefits and advantages.

We claim:

1. In a strainer, the cianbination of a grating having a series of substantially-p; rallel bars spaced apart, clcanin wipi rig-tinge tended down between said aid bars being spaced apart a greater distance thar the thickness of said fingers, each finger being in sliding engagement wiih one side only of one of said bars and means to move said fingers along said bars while maintaining their contact therewith to remove material therefrom.

In a strainer, the combination of an inclined grating having a series of su stantially-parallel upwardly-sloping bars spaced apart, laterally resilient spring cleaning wiping-fingers extended down between said bars, said bars being spaced apart a greater distance than the thickness of said fingers, each finger being in sliding engagement with one side only of one of said bars and means to move said fingers upwardly along said bars while maintaining their contact therewith to remove material therefrom.

3. In a strainer, the combination of a grating having a series of substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, wiping-fingers extended down between said bars, said bars being spaced apart a greater distance than the thickness of said fingers. said fingers having resiliency transversely only of said bars. with each finger in sliding engagement with one side only of one of said bars and means to move said fingers along said bars while maintaining their contact therewith to wipe material therefrom.

4. In a strainer, the combination of a grab ing having a series of substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, substantially-straight wiping-fingers extended down between said bars, said bars being spaced apart a greater distance than the thickness of said fingers, said fingers having resiliency transversely only of said bars with each finger in sliding engagement with one side only of one of said bars, and means to move said fingers along said bars while maintaining their contact therewith to wipe material therefrom.

5. In a strainer, the combination of a grating having a series of substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, cleaning wiping spring fingers extended down between said bars with a portion of such fingers each in engagement with one side only of one of a group of said bars and the remainder of said fingers each in engagement with the opposite side only of one of the remainder of said bars, said bars being spaced apart a greater distance than the thickness of said fingers and means to move said fingers along said bars while maintaining the specified contact therewith to remove material therefrom.

6. In a strainer, the combination of an inclined grating, a support adjacent to the top thereof, wiping means to remove material from said grating, means to move said wiping means upwardly along said grating, means to permit said wiping means to fall when in a position to deposit its adhering material on said support, stop means to arrest said fall to jar loose the material adhering to said wiping means on to said support, and means to restore said wiping means to original wiping relation.

7. In a strainer, the combination of an inclined grating having a series of upwardlyslioping substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, a receptacle adjacent to the top thereof, a carriage, means to cause said carriage to travel upwardly along said grating, a support hinged to said carriage, a plurality of wiping-fingers on said support extending down between said grating-bars, means to lock said support and its wipingfingers to said carriage against downward rocking, means to release said lock to allow said support and its fingers to swing downwardly to deposit their collected material on said receptacle, a stop limiting the rocking descent of said support and its fingers which suddenly arrests their descent to jar loose material adhering to said fingers and to cause its deposit on said receptacle, means to restore said support and fingers to their original position, and means to actuate said lock to retain them n such original position until such lock is again released.

8. In a strainer, the combination of an inclined grating having a series of upwardlysloping substantially-parallel. bars spaced apart, a receptacle adjacent to the top thereof, a carriage, means to cause said carriage to travel upwardly along said grating, a support hinged on said carriage, a plurality of spring wiping-fingers on said support extending down between and in contact with the sides of said grating-bars, means to lock said support and its wiping-fingers to said carriage against downward rocking, means to release said lock to allow said support and its fingers [Q to swing downwardly to deposit their collected material on said receptacle, a stop limiting the rocking descent of said support and its fingers which suddenly arrests their descent to jar loose material adhering to said fingers a -land to cause its deposit on said receptacle,

' means to restore said support and fingers to their original position, and means to actuate said lock to retain them in such original position until such lock is again released.

1 9. In a strainer, the combination of a grating having a series of substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, wiping-fingers, and means to cause said wiping-fingers to enter the spaces between said bars, to travel along the '20 latter, to leave said spaces, and to repeat such operations, said bars being bent latcrally to allow the entrance of said fingers into said spaces without engagement with said bars and to contact with the sides of the bars after such entrance and during the continued travel of said fingers.

10. In a strainer, the combination of a grating having a series of substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, wiping-fingers having re- 80 siliency only transverse to said bars, and means to cause said wiping-fingers to enter the spaces between said bars, to travel along the latter, to leave said spaces, and to repeat such operations, said bars being bent later- 85 ally to allow the entrance of said fingers into said spaces without engagement with said bars and to contact with the sides of the bars after such entrance and during the continued travel of said fingers.

40 11. In a strainer, the combination of a grating having a series of substantially-parallel bars spaced apart, substantially-straight spring-fingers having resiliency only transverse to said bars, and means to cause said wiping-fingers to enter the spaces between said bars, to travel along the latter, to leave said spaces, and to repeat such operations, said bars being bent laterally to allow the entrance of said fingers into said spaces without engagement with said bars and to contact with the sides of the bars after such entrance and during the continued travel of said fin gers.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ARTHUR J. EVERS. HERBERT J. SAUVAGE. 

